Did you dine on Coronation chicken, binge Beef Wellington, or slurp down smoothies? Food fads come and go but one thing stays true, people love to eat. What were your parent's noshing when you were in nappies?
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00:00Did you dine on Coronation Chicken, Binge Beef Wellington, or Slurp Down Smoothies?
00:05Food fads come and go, but one thing stays true — people love to eat. What were your
00:10parents noshing when you were in nappies?
00:13Those born between the years of 1950 to 1952 were growing up at the same time that pizza
00:17was gaining in popularity. While you might think of this Italian dish as a modern invention,
00:22The Washington Post says that pizza was first introduced to the U.S. by Italian immigrants
00:26who brought their love for this dish with them when they arrived on American soil.
00:31Pizza didn't officially become part of U.S. history until 1905. That's when store owner
00:35Gennaro Lombardi and chef Antonio Pero formally introduced the dish with the opening of the
00:41first pizzeria in a New York City neighborhood aptly named Little Italy.
00:45By 1950, pizza had become exceptionally popular. That is also the year that frozen pizza was
00:50introduced to the market.
00:52You know, when you're fixing Italian food, everything has got to be just so perfect,
00:57especially when you're making a pizza.
01:01Coronation Chicken received a culinary seat at the royal table when it was created for
01:04Queen Elizabeth II's coronation in 1953. The original recipe was perfected by Angela Wood
01:10while she was a student at the esteemed culinary school Le Cordon Bleu, London. Described as
01:15a savory meal made from chicken and a curry cream sauce, it is sometimes garnished with
01:19parsley and often served on either toast points or as an accompaniment to other dishes.
01:25Coronation Chicken has since become a British culinary classic. Although Wood never established
01:29a professional career as a cook, this dish secured her place in culinary history. Today,
01:34Coronation Chicken can easily be found ready-made in supermarkets as well as in countless recipe
01:38books, making it relatively easy to prepare at home.
01:42Created by Dr. James H. Salisbury during the late 1800s, Salisbury's steak contained ground
01:47beef, a mix of flour, and various seasonings, was slathered in gravy, and eventually became
01:51a staple meal for Union soldiers during the Civil War. According to Food Timeline, Salisbury's
01:56steak recipes were available many years, though they stayed largely under the radar for decades.
02:01However, it was during the mid-1950s that Salisbury's steak caught on as a popular dish
02:05in American homes and restaurants alike, boosted in large part by the popularization of frozen
02:10TV dinners.
02:121957 was quite the eventful year. The Frisbee was created, the Cold War was steadily heating
02:17up, and bubble wrap was accidentally invented. On the culinary end of things, 1957 saw the
02:22very first time the name Pigs in a Blanket was printed in a cookbook. It remains unclear
02:26who developed this popular snack recipe, but Betty Crocker has been credited with putting
02:30the name in print and catapulting it into households across the United States.
02:35Though commonly wrapped in pastry dough, Pigs in a Blanket have plenty of variations these
02:39You could wrap sausages in tortillas or swap them out for steamed pastry or cabbage leaves.
02:43But should you get supremely decadent and wrap them in bacon? Absolutely.
02:48Dating back to the Roman Empire, meat pies had been simplified by the 16th century, basically
02:53consisting of just pastry, chicken, and gravy. By 1796, the concept had crossed oceans to
02:58America with a recipe for chicken pot pie being featured in the cookbook American Cookery.
03:03Over time, however, other ingredients have been added to create something resembling
03:06the chicken pot pie one might enjoy today. By 1958, most Americans had become familiar
03:11with chicken pot pies as well as other, more experimental versions featuring different
03:15ingredients depending on where you were located. The main ingredient in Virginia, for example,
03:19was carrots, while it was asparagus tips in Mississippi and rice if you lived in South
03:24Carolina.
03:25Tuna noodle casserole is one of the most iconic American dishes. While it has been revised
03:30over the many years it's been around, noodles and canned tuna fish remain the primary components,
03:35along with a mushroom soup or chicken soup as a base. It's largely considered one of
03:39the most iconic dishes of the 1950s, and for good reason. In 1959, tuna noodle casserole
03:44was named one of the most popular recipes in America. This was after the U.S. Bureau
03:48of Commercial Fisheries conducted a survey revealing that eight out of ten American households
03:52consumed canned tuna at least once a week, with tuna casseroles among the top three most
03:57prepared dishes.
03:58Well, it's an exciting day here in Tunaville, the town where they catch and pack breast
04:02chicken tuna.
04:03Chicken a la King dates back to the 19th century, but its popularity was quite apparent
04:07during the 1950s and 1960s. It's still not clear who created the chicken-mushroom-and-wine
04:12combo traditionally served on toast, but there are several theories. The first is backed
04:16by The New York Times' former food editor and author Craig Claiborne, who suggested
04:21that the recipe was created by chef George Greenwald in the late 1800s or early 1900s,
04:26and was added to the menu at New York's Brighton Beach Hotel. Other claims credit a patron
04:30at Delmonico's restaurant, and in another version, William King is said to have created
04:34the dish while working as a cook at Philadelphia's Bellevue Hotel. Regardless of which origin
04:39story you believe, if you were born in 1960, this recipe was popular at that time.
04:45Those who were born in 1961, and the few years after that, arrived about the same time as
04:49popularity grew for the French dish beuf bourguignon, which is a hearty mix of beef, mushrooms,
04:54and red wine. Most notably, 1961 was the year that Mastering the Art of French Cooking by
04:59Julia Child was published with its version of the recipe. It's unclear where this dish
05:03originated, though it's been associated with the Burgundy region of France. In addition,
05:07it seems there are several variations to the classic recipe, while some recommend veal
05:11rather than beef or white wine as opposed to red.
05:15Those born in 1964 who are also cheese lovers can only be praised for their peak timing.
05:20This was the year Americans were first introduced to fondue at the New York World's Fair, which
05:24quickly became popular across the nation. Fondue's origins date back to between 800
05:29B.C. and 725 B.C., with descriptions of cooking with wine, goat's cheese, and flour. Today,
05:35fondue remains a dish around which groups gather and dip bread and a host of other ingredients
05:39while they make their way through the fondue bowl. In addition to cheese, other varieties
05:43call for using melted chocolate.
05:46Described as, quote, the ultimate indulgence by celebrity chef Gordon Ramsay, Beef Wellington
05:50was all the rave in 1965. And although it's lauded as a classic UK dish, its origins are
05:56believed to be French. Supposedly named after Arthur Wellesley, the first Duke of Wellington,
06:01the dish was traditionally made using a whole fillet of beef and pâté de foie gras wrapped
06:05in pastry and served with a Madeira sauce. Today, there are countless variations for
06:10both the fillings and casings alike.
06:13Long before baking contests were televised to global notoriety, home bakers could showcase
06:17their talent in contests like the Pillsbury Bake-Off. That's where the Tunnel of Fudge
06:21Cake first made a name for itself. Entered into the baking contest by Ella Helfrich
06:26in 1966, the cake had a center of fudge and nuts and was baked in a Bundt pan. The cake
06:31placed second in the contest, but the company received more than 200,000 letters from home
06:36bakers requesting the recipe, as well as information on where to find their own Bundt cake pans.
06:41Even today, versions of the recipe have remained a favorite for chocolate lovers.
06:45The 1970s was the era that gave us disco and the Pet Rock, but on the foodie front, quiche
06:50was making its mark as a go-to food popular as a brunch dish or appetizer. A 1972 cookbook
06:56titled Favorite New England Recipes included directions for making a spinach quiche. Not
07:01only was its signature combination of eggs, milk, cheese, meats, and vegetables delicious
07:05on its own, but according to The New York Times, it could also make magic with food
07:09that has been sitting in the refrigerator for too long. For instance, leftover turkey
07:13and chicken could easily be converted into a quiche. Being a delicious, versatile meal
07:17that cuts down on food waste made it a total win for busy families.
07:22Although the word smoothie started making the rounds during the early 20th century,
07:25the evolution of its meaning is intertwined with the creation and popularization of blenders.
07:31By the 1960s and 1970s, the U.S. became the hub of a natural food trend that included
07:36smoothies made of fresh fruits, ice, and fruit juice. The mass popularization of smoothies
07:40is largely tied to Steve Kunau, who established the first Smoothie King in 1973. Having developed
07:46various recipes using what are now standard additions to many homemade smoothies, like
07:51protein powders and yogurt, Smoothie King spread in popularity and now has more than
07:551,300 locations worldwide.
07:58If you've ever justified that extra slice of carrot cake as healthy just because it
08:02contains vegetable nuts and raisins, you would have channeled the overriding theory that
08:06made it so wildly popular in the 1970s.
08:09I'm getting healthier snacks for the shoeshine stand. Chris is a food genius. Did you know
08:13that the food you eat becomes energy?
08:15Yeah!
08:16Originally created as an updated version of European steamed puddings and medieval English
08:20baked puddings, carrot cake dates back as far as the 18th century. Pillsbury Baking
08:24Company had conducted enough research to not only find a carrot pudding recipe in The Thirteen
08:29Colonies Cookbook, published in 1975, but also to come up with its version centered
08:34on spices and carrots.
08:35Carrot cake continued to rise in popularity and eventually earned its place as one of
08:39the top five food fads of the decade.
08:42According to The Nibble, legend has it that the very first chocolate truffles were created
08:46in the kitchen of famed chef Auguste Escoffier during the 1920s. Named after the black truffle
08:51fungus because of their similar appearance, chocolate truffles consisted of a ball of
08:55chocolate and cream rolled in cocoa powder. Today, chocolate truffles can contain an array
08:59of other ingredients, from nuts and caramels to peppercorns and paprika.
09:04And here's a bonus fun fact for you. If you were born in 1976, you share a birth year
09:08with Alice Medrick's first bake shop, Cocolat, in Berkeley, California, which became wildly
09:13successful, in part due to the owner's hallmark chocolate truffles.
09:17Pasta Primavera was, according to the National Post, a happy accident that originated at
09:22a mansion in Nova Scotia, Canada. Some attribute the creation of Pasta Primavera to cookbook
09:26author Ed Joby and Ciro Macchioni during a fishing trip they took to the peninsula. Although
09:32others elaborate on the fishing trip story with the addition of Macchioni's wife, who
09:35presented visitors with an improvised mix of mushrooms, greens, cream, and olive oil
09:40tossed into pasta.
09:41The dish, at the time called Spaghetti Primavera, was offered as a special at the Manhattan
09:45restaurant Le Cirque. It was only after a scathing 1977 review from The New York Times
09:50that they perfected the recipe, which then took Manhattan by storm and has remained a
09:54popular recipe to this day.
09:56The increase in health consciousness during the 1970s gave way, in 1980, to a spike in
10:01the popularity of granola. It wasn't a novel concept, though. According to the Los Angeles
10:06Times, granola became popular when its marketing was touted as a snub to previous generations'
10:10unhealthy lifestyles.
10:11"'Tuna salad and an orange, that's a very healthy lunch."
10:15"'You know what I'd done with that healthy lunch?'
10:20Granola went fully mainstream in the 1970s after General Mills developed Natural Valley
10:24Granola and later, Cereal Bars. By 1981, Quaker had introduced its Chewy Granola Bars to compete
10:30with General Mills, which quickly came to top the sales charts. This soon began an era
10:35of fierce granola competition with other companies like Hershey Foods and Carnation.
10:40The Italian word tiramisu translates to pick-me-up, and it's apt for a dessert that's a decadent
10:45mix of mascarpone cheese whipped with rum, sugar, and heavy cream and then layered with
10:49ladyfingers that have been dipped in espresso. According to National Geographic, the origin
10:53story of tiramisu is fiercely debated to this day. Some believe it was created as an aphrodisiac
10:59in the 19th century. Others say it was developed at Italy's La Beccaria restaurant, which opened
11:03in the 1970s. Nevertheless, the dessert took the U.S. by storm in 1981 when Lydia Bastianich
11:09featured it on the menu of her newly-opened restaurant, Felidia, in New York City's Upper
11:14East Side.
11:16A few years after Le Cirque owner Sirio Macchione put Pasta Primavera on the map, he had his
11:21staff create a dessert that went on to become one of the restaurant's most popular items.
11:26Although versions of creme brulee date back as far as medieval times, the dessert has
11:30also undergone many revisions. Its name borrows from the French words for burnt cream, and
11:35The New York Post says that Macchione's staff created an updated version of this sweet masterpiece
11:40after a family visit to Spain in 1982. The restaurant's creme brulee soared in popularity,
11:45and by 1984, variations had popped up across the country, such as creme brulee with berries,
11:50currants, mint, and even with orange liqueur.
11:53Blackened Fish was steadily making waves on the way to claiming its culinary moment
11:57in 1985 during what The New York Times dubbed the Year of Surprises. Restaurants had introduced
12:02a variety of Cajun-style dishes. Among these were blackened tuna, blackened snapper, blackened
12:07prime rib, and so on. The possibilities for blacked foods appeared to be endless.
12:12According to the Chicago Tribune, the unstoppable food trend could be traced back to Paul Prudhomme,
12:17chef and owner of K-Paul's Louisiana Kitchen in New Orleans. He created a blackened redfish
12:22recipe for his menu, and patrons were so thoroughly taken by the flavors that it not
12:27only became his signature dish, but other restaurants also quickly followed suit with
12:30their own versions.
12:32It's hard to believe that something as delicious as buffalo wings didn't exist until 1964.
12:37Fried chicken wings had already been a longstanding staple in the South, but according to the
12:41National Chicken Council, the concept of buffalo wings came into being in Buffalo, New York's
12:46Anchor Bar, and were soon added as a mainstay on the restaurant's menu.
12:50Buffalo wings remained a regional food relegated to the New York area for years, but by the
12:55mid-1980s, the concept had grown progressively more popular across the country. In 1990,
13:00a version of buffalo wings went national with the McDonald's launch of its spicy Mighty
13:04Wings.
13:05According to Slate, ranch dressing was created by Steve and Gail Henson, who opened Hidden
13:09Valley Ranch in California in 1954. By the time the Clorox Company purchased the Hidden
13:15Valley Ranch brand in 1972, the dressing had become a local specialty with a steadily thriving
13:20market.
13:21There's a Hidden Valley Ranch party in my mouth. There's a Hidden Valley Ranch party
13:27in my mouth.
13:29By the mid-1980s, casual dining and fast food joints were using ranch dressing in their
13:33recipes, thus spreading its popularity across the country. By 1992, ranch dressing had become
13:38the top-selling salad dressing in the United States, and has continued to garner notoriety
13:43in many households to this day.
13:45I could eat a whole bottle.
13:47I could eat a whole bottle too.
13:53As if pizza wasn't popular enough, the 1990s saw the high-profile introduction of a bite-sized
13:58pizza snack that took the country by storm. What was it, exactly? An Italian spin on egg
14:03rolls made by filling delicious little pockets of dough with cheese and sauce that came to
14:07be known as pizza rolls. Starting as a ready-made frozen product offered through Jenno's Inc.,
14:12they quickly grew in popularity, and it's easy to see why.
14:15Jenno's was sold to Pillsbury in 1985, and Pillsbury also owned Totino's. In 1993, the
14:21snack was rebranded to become what is still known today as Totino's Pizza Rolls.
14:25It's the time when you need a meal quick, but you want a snack with a spicy kick. Make
14:29them in the oven or the microwave. Think about all the time you save.
14:32The company's website claims its trademarked snack is the best-selling hot snack food in
14:37the U.S.
14:38The origins of Sloppy Joes are a bit sketchy. There are those that claim that the sandwich
14:43may have been inspired by a Cuban dish, while others suggest the sandwiches may have been
14:47created by an actual Joe based in Iowa. Some even credit Ernest Hemingway as having had
14:52a hand in the creation of this hearty 90s-era favorite.
14:55According to Mel magazine, the term Sloppy Joe can be traced to at least the 1880s, but
15:00it was in 1994 when this messy mix of ground beef, tomato sauce, onions, green peppers,
15:04and spices got a huge boost in popularity, due in part to the popular SNL sketch featuring
15:10Adam Sandler and Chris Farley singing about the school lunch lady and Sloppy Joes.
15:14By the mid-1990s, magazines and television shows about food and cooking were on the rise,
15:27and between 1995 and 1996, sun-dried tomatoes peaked in popularity as more and more were
15:33being imported from Europe for all those home cooks to use in a myriad of dishes. Moreover,
15:38sun-dried tomatoes, a cookbook co-written by Ethel and George Ann Brennan, was released
15:42in 1995 and became so popular that it had to be printed several more times.
15:48While sun-dried tomatoes have lost some of their popularity, they are still relatively
15:51easy to make. All you need are Roma or San Marzano tomatoes, a little bit of salt to
15:56siphon their moisture, and exposure to the sun's rays while covered in a cheesecloth
16:00for a couple of days.
16:02Most people love a good molten lava cake, but it seems the history of this popular dessert
16:06is just as fascinating as it is yummy. When chocolate lava cake was introduced to Disney
16:10World in 1997, it could only be purchased in the more expensive restaurants at the park.
16:15This was hardly surprising, though, given that chocolate lava cake had already grown
16:19exceptionally popular in upscale restaurants across New York City and Los Angeles, as well
16:23as in France. The dessert became even more mainstream once Chili's began selling its
16:28version that it called a molten chocolate cake in 1998.
16:32Dubbed the year that transformed British food forever by Delicious magazine, 1999 saw some
16:37serious spikes in food positivity thanks to celebrities like Nigella Lawson. This was
16:41especially welcome given that Britain had been muddled in beef export bans and salmonella
16:46scares in the previous years. On a commercial and in some ways more entertaining level,
16:50the British food scene was thriving. Given the messaging delivered by the emerging food
16:54celebrities, there was great emphasis on local, farm-fresh ingredients centered around simplicity
16:59and giving people the confidence to create delicious meals from basic elements.
17:04If you were born between 2000 and 2005, you were definitely too young to be watching Sex
17:09and the City, but countless Carrie Bradshaw fans will remember the scene from the third
17:12season when she declares her crush on Aiden while biting into a cupcake at Magnolia Bakery
17:17in New York City. With an already long-standing history dating back to the introduction of
17:22the Hostess Cupcake in 1919, cupcakes